The factors determining a person’s health go far beyond what happens in the doctor’s office. To be healthy, a person must not only have access to healthcare but also be able to obtain healthy food and have a safe place to work, live and exercise. Community and social support also play an important role. In one out of five communities in the U.S., people can’t access what they need to be healthy. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this problem and revealed just how much an individual’s health depends on their surrounding community. During the 2020 Business of Healthcare conference presented virtually by the UNC Center for the Business of Health in November 2020, experts from various parts of the nation’s healthcare system discussed contributors to social inequalities that affect health and examined how innovation and interconnectivity can build a more robust healthcare system.

Experts laid out a framework to explain the social and economic factors that have created barriers to good health, and how inadequate access to healthcare has created massive disparities in outcomes. The event discussed the role that business and healthcare leaders must play to address health inequities.

Sanjeev Agrawal, President & COO of LeanTaas

Brett Kenefick, President of VaxCare and ’96 UNC Kenan-Flagler alumnus, and Brad Staats, Faculty Director for the UNC Center for the Business of Health, discuss how challenges faced in vaccine distribution and adherence can help us to better understand broader challenges and opportunities in US health care—both now in the time of COVID, and going forward.